Death Toll Rises To 121 In Rio De Janeiro Police Raid

By Staff, Agencies

At least 121 people have died in a Rio de Janeiro police raid against the Red Command gang, marking one of Brazil’s deadliest recent operations.

Gunfights in Rio’s Complexo do Alemao and Penha killed at least four police officers, left others injured, and pushed the death toll to between 121 and 130.

Brazil’s public defender’s office filed a request with the Supreme Court for access to forensic evidence related to the operation, particularly in cases involving police deaths.

“The bodies of these people will tell us what really happened, and for that, we need access to them,” said Rafaela Garcez, a public defender leading the inquiry.

Police said the raid followed a yearlong probe into the Red Command, a criminal group from Rio’s prisons that now controls drug trafficking and other crimes in multiple communities.

During the operation, officers arrested 113 individuals, seized 118 firearms, and confiscated more than a tonne of drugs.

Human rights groups condemned the raid’s intensity, demanding independent probes, while critics called it one of Brazil’s most violent state actions, sparking protests and calls for Rio’s governor to resign.

Community leaders in Penha gathered on Thursday to organize legal support for grieving families through the rights group CUFA. Many local businesses remained closed, and residents described the atmosphere as tense and sorrowful.

Daily life in Rio’s favelas was upended, with schools closed, buses used as roadblocks, and residents facing days of fear and confusion.

Tuesday’s raid surpassed past operations in scale and deaths, far exceeding the 29 killed in 2005 and 28 in Jacarezinho in 2021.

On Thursday, President Lula signed a law strengthening Brazil’s fight against organized crime, criminalizing conspiracy and protecting threatened public officials and their families.

Senate President Davi Alcolumbre said a special committee will start investigating Brazil’s organized crime operations, funding, and territorial growth next week.